Background of the Study

for themselves, making the alliance between fathers and teachers fraught with tension. The unique significance of fathers to medieval people derived from their location at the intersection of education and provision. There were many affectionate comrades and many forms of authority in medieval society, but only fathers were both. Biutiful is movie which tells to be a father. A single parent refers to a parent who has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children. In western society in general following separation a child will end up with the primary caregiver usually the mother and a secondary caregiver usually the father. One of the most difficult things a single parent can struggle with is having to do everything by themselves with no one else to blame if it does not get done. Biutiful is a drama film directed by Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu. This name uses Spanish naming customs the first or paternal family name is González and the second or maternal family name is Iñárritu. Alejandro González Iñárritu was born on August 15, 1963 is a Mexican film director. González Iñárritu is the first Mexican director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and by the Directors Guild of America for Best Director. He is also the first and only Mexican born director to have won the Prix de la mise en scene or best director award at Cannes 2006. His four feature films Amores perros 2000, 21 Grams 2003, Babel 2006 and Biutiful 2010 have gained critical acclaim worldwide including 12 Academy Award nominations. Biutiful is the successful movie and interesting for many people. Biutiful movie has three reasons which make the researcher was interested in this movie. The first is the major character of this movie, Uxbal to be a single parents and lives in a shabby apartment in Barcelona with his two young children, Ana and Mateo. He is separated from their mother Marambra, an unreliable and reckless woman suffering from alcoholism and bipolar disorder. Although he was ill he still wanted her son happy. After his death, he is reunited in a snowy winter landscape with his father, who had died before Uxbals birth shortly after having fled Spain for Mexico during the Franco regime. The second reason is the uncommon story, Biutiful is a love story between a father and his children. This is the journey of Uxbal, a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, love, spirituality, crime, guilt and mortality amidst the dangerous underworld of modern Barcelona. His livelihood is earned out of bounds, his sacrifices for his children know no bounds. Like life itself, this is a circular tale that ends where it begins. As fate encircles him and thresholds are crossed, a dim, redemptive road brightens, illuminating. The last reason is this film is also about death. The western view of storytelling can only view death from a particular perspective. Biutiful movie present with characters who are complex and struggling with doing what they think is right. Uxbal raises his young daughter Ana and son Mateo alone, struggling to make ends meet. There is no easy redemption for Uxbal. In fact the men in this film are all trying to be good fathers. From those reasons, the writer found the existence from the major character from this movie for life and he has mission to do. Uxbal existence becomes an issue chosen by the researcher in this movie. In the philosophy of existentialism, Jean Paul Sartre views each person as an isolated being who is the subject into an alien universe, and conceives the world as possessing no inherent human truth, value, or meaning. A person’s life as it moves from the nothingness from which it comes toward the nothingness where it must end, defines an existence which is both anguished and absurd. Based on the reason the writer will observe Biutiful movie by using existentialist theory by Kierkegaard and Jean Paul Sartre. So the writer constructs the title TO BE A FATHER IN BIUTIFUL MOVIE 2011 DIRECTED BY ALEJANDRO GONZÁLEZ IÑÁRRITU: EXISTENTIALIST APPROACH. B. Problem Statement Based on the title and background above, the writer formulates the problem statement as follow: “How is to be a father reflected in Biutiful movie?”

C. Limitation of the Study

The writer focuses this researcher in analyzing to the role of a father in Biutiful movie based on Kierkegaard and Jean Paul Sartre theory of existentialism.

D. Benefit of the Study

The study of father’s existence in Biutiful movie has two benefits: 1. Theoretical Benefit The study is expected to give a new contribution and information to the larger body of knowledge, particularly the literary studies on Biutiful movie. 2. Practical Benefit The study is expected to enrich knowledge and experience of the writer and another student of Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta or another university who have interest with literary study on the movie from Existentialist approach.

CHAPTER II UNDERLYING THEORY

A. Notion of Existentialism

Existentialism is not easily to define, because each philosopher has different formulation to define it Macquarrie states, “existentialism is a type of philosophy difficult to define because it does not have any agreed body of doctrine; it is rather a way of doing philosophy in which life and thought are closely related to each other” Macquarrie in The Encyclopedia of Religion, 1972:222. It grew rapidly after World War II, but it does not mean existentialism emerge at the same time. The pioneer, Soren Aabye Kierkegaard introduced existentialism before World War I, but it becomes well known in the 20 th century. Human being is a social creature with biological needs that must eat, drink, shelter, and clothe him. Besides, he has to socialize himself with others. In socializing, he will face some problems. Man is hoped that he is able to solve his problems. Because he does not only face a problem, he will meet some choices in solving his problems. Furthermore, men have to be careful to decide what the best is for him and for others. As a result, his freedom plays an important role when wants to make a decision.

B. Jean- Paul Sartre’s Theory on Existentialism

On June 21, 1905 Jean – Paul – Charles – Aymard Sartre was born in Paris, France. He is a son of Jean – Baptiste Sartre and Marie Schweitzer. Later, he is called Jean – Paul Sartre who is well known as a prominent